The Urban Grind

Why, they go “glamping” of course!

What that means for the rest of us is that they rent out their mansions in the Hamptons over the summer (for mucho dollars), and them move into trailers.

“It’s a piece of paradise. That we live here [is] a blessing to me,” Montauk resident Jeanette Esposito told CBS 2’s Jennifer McLogan on Thursday.

Esposito was talking about the Ditch Plains Trailer Park at Montauk Shores sitting at ocean’s edge — for 200 lucky families, complete with swimming pools and playgrounds.

Some call it “glamping” — or glamour camping.

“We don’t like to refer to them as trailers. Some people have the connotation it is rundown. I would say 90 percent of our residents live elsewhere for most of the year and they spend their summers here,” said Hugh Herbert of Montauk.

And some savvy Hamptonites are taking full advantage, squeezing in for the summer and renting out their sought after luxury million-dollar digs for the season.

Even owners of more modest homes are collecting $50,000 in rent for July and August. They will pay $1,400 a month to lease trailer space at Montauk Shores – quite a profit.

{snip}

But the trailer park in Montauk is full and there’s a waiting list for interviews. The trailer park in Montauk has been around for more than 50 years. The people who run the place said this is the first time they remember seeing Hamptons families moving in for the summer.

Interviews to rent out trailer park space? What’s next trailer park co-op boards??? There goes the neighborhood!

Allen West posted this on his Facebook page today.

As I ponder the NSA records data mining episode here are my thoughts. This is like carpet bombing vs. precision attack. Can someone explain why we weren’t listening to Anwar-al-Awlaki and his conversations with Major Nidal Hasan? Why weren’t we able to track Carlos Bledsoe’s travel to Somalia and Yemen to receive terrorist training? Why didn’t we pay attention to warning signs of Abdul Mutallab (underwear bomber) with a one-way ticket and little baggage traveling from Nigeria to America? Why weren’t we paying attention to the Tsarnaev brothers’ travels and connections to Chechen Islamic terrorism — heck Russia warned us? Why is it that in October 2011, 57 Islamic organizations — several with ties to Muslim Brotherhood — sent a letter to then counter-terrorism advisor John Brennan demanding we purge training materials and punish instructors they deemed “offensive” and we didn’t say “shove it” and target THEIR records? We’d rather carpet bomb Americans to cover our cowardice in confronting Islamic extremism. Benjamin Franklin said, “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

2013 Best & Worst States for Business

Looks like the first state in the list to be run by a Democrat would be #13, Colorado.   The next one looks to be #26, New Hampshire.   New York is #49, right above California and right below Illinois.

I’m sure you all know about the sky high prices of renting (and buying) apartments in New York City. New York City residents have the option of using a broker, thus paying a 15% commission of the entire year’s rent, along with a one month security deposit, and another one or two months of rent before moving in. Or if they don’t want to go that route, they could search Craigslist for either apartments or rooms to rent, if they want to save some money and have a roommate.

Now I thought I would try taking a roommate a while ago, but I was immediately turned off by people who could barely put a coherent sentence together. Also, I learned that I’m way too old for this kind of thing. I mean it’s one thing to be fresh out of college, with dreams of “making it” in the Big Apple. At that age, living in a basement apartment with several roommates while taking an entry level “glamour” job in advertising, public relations, or publishing no doubt is seen by some as edgy and chic. I know this because I’ve lived in Manhattan for most of my adult life. The expression “bridge and tunnels crowd” was made up by Manhattanites who look down their noses at people who live in Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island and the Bronx. (But then again, I don’t think it applies to residents of Brooklyn Heights and Astoria these days.)

These are some of the same people who will pay more than ten dollars for the privilege of waiting on several block long lines in 10 degree weather to see the latest movie. These types will also take a summer share in a Westhampton pig sty of a house, or sleep in the garage of that same disgusting house just to say they vacation in the Hamptons.

Anyway, the reason I thought of all this today is because I just came across blog called The Worst Room, run by a homeless man that shows what your money will get you (or in this case, won’t get you) if you want to rent a room in New York City. Get a load of some of these rooms:

West Village, Manhattan. $1900.00

“Loft bed setup with workstation”

Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. $725.00

“with kitchen”

And here’s the lovely kitchen.

Upper East Side, Manhattan. $1600.00

Washington Heights, Manhattan. $300/month

(The Breakfast Nook)

I don’t have to remind anyone here that New York has always been a blue state. But New York City is the bluest of the blue. In most of these social circles, it’s just a given that you’re a liberal Democrat. I remember one time going out with a neighbor of mine and her friends back in 2003. At the restaurant, my neighbor started by saying “Now we’re all Democrats here,” at which point I interrupted her to announce my conservatism. And her answer was “That’s OK.” They were all very excited about having the choice of either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama as the next POTUS.

I’ve had as neighbors well to do married woman with one or two small children who worked high powered jobs. If I’d bothered to ask them at the time about their politics, I’m sure they would have said “Of course I’m a Democrat! Why are you even asking me?” But I’ve always wondered if they saw anything wrong with working 60 hours a week for the privilege of living in a fancy Upper East Side high rise rather than staying home with their children. Did it ever occurred to them that they might not need two salaries in the first place if they weren’t taxed so relentlessly. Then again, something tells me that their brains don’t work that way. After all, being a high powered working woman with one or two kids while living in a pricey Mahhattan sky rise is “chic.” You’re “having it all.” Staying home with the kids would be “wasting their education.” And let’s not forget the whole feminist/pro-choice issue. In New York City, it’s automatically assumed that you’re pro-choice. I mean what other way would there be for these women to have the same sexual freedom as men, right? Maybe that’s why they put up with the 60-80 hour work weeks, the punitive taxes, the big bad co-op boards (a subject of an entirely different post), and the subway.

Investigators found jihadist material on Katherine Russell’s computer. Plus, they also found explosive residue on the kitchen sink, table and bathtub of the Tsarnaev apartment.

Radical Islamic materials and an al Qaeda magazine were found on the computer of Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s widow — and there was explosive residue throughout their house, it was revealed yesterday.

The files found on Katherine Russell’s hard drive are part of an investigation into whether the woman — who claimed to be in the dark on her husband’s terrorist activities — was aware of his plan to set off the two bombs, The Washington Post reported.

It wasn’t clear whether the files belonged to Russell, 24, or her husband, 26.

The explosive residue was found on the kitchen sink and table and in the bathtub at their home in Cambridge, Mass., a source told CNN.

The surviving bomber, Tsarnaev’s brother, Dzhokhar, told investigators they built the bombs in Tamerlan’s basement.

Officials said female DNA and fingerprints on a piece of pressure cooker found in the explosive debris did not match Russell’s.

Some people still have way too much time (and money) on their hands. They are flocking to celebrity dog groomer Jorge Bendersky to have temporary tatoos stenciled onto their dogs.

To “tattoo” a dog, Bendersky and other groomers typically start off by filling in a stencil with canine-safe glue. Next, they add dog-friendly glitter and, sometimes, pre-packed designs with rhinestones.

These designs, which cost approximately $100, are most often placed on dogs’ hips or tailbone, making the placement analogous to a lower back tattoo on a person.
“It’s all about the tramp stamp,” Bendersky said.

Here’s what some owners have to say about why they do this to their dogs:

6. “In the summer, they cut the dogs’ hair short, so you’ve got to supplement the glamour.”
5. “It’s grown immensely — even people in remote Iowa do it.”
4. “I go to a lot of events, and people dress up their dogs in expensive outfits, and it was something I could do to make my dog stand out that wasn’t that expensive.” [Ed. note: It costs about $100.]
3. “Sometimes, my dog and I dress in the same color if we’re going to a red carpet event. During the summer, it’s just too hot to have him wearing outfits like that … The tattoo is a good option.”
2. “Dogs are like humans, and when they accessorize they get attention. A pink dog does not know it’s pink, but when people are smiling and taking pictures, it gets attention … So, a dog likes to get tattoos.”
1. “It’s all about the tramp stamp.”

Via The Lid

I knew this would happen sooner or later, as those Tsarnaev brothers had to have had help. The three individuals have been arrested for making false statements to investigators, and obstruction of justice.

(CNN) — At least two of three additional suspects arrested Wednesday in the Boston Marathon bombing probe face obstruction of justice charges, a federal law enforcement source said.
Boston police announced the arrests Wednesday morning, adding that there was “no threat to the public.”

Two students from New Bedford, Massachusetts, have been arrested on charges of making false statements to investigators and conspiracy to obstruct justice, according to a federal law enforcement source with firsthand knowledge of the investigation.

{snip}

The students are originally from Kazakhstan and were already in custody on immigration charges, according to another source with knowledge of the immigration case. The third is a U.S. citizen, the federal law enforcement source said.

{snip}

The students who now face charges went to college with Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the source familiar with the immigration case said.

Now I want to know when we’re going to stop immigration from these Muslim countries where their people are taught to blame America for all their problems?

She’s now whining about how “America took my kids away from me.”

MAKHACHKALA, Russia (CBS/AP) — The mother of the two Boston bombing suspects told reporters that “America took my kids away from me” and wished she had never left Russia.

I wish you’d never left Russia either.

“Why did I even go there?” Zubeidat Tsarnaeva said, crying, after CBS News correspondent Charlie D’Agata asked if she regretted the move.

Why did our government let this trash in to begin with? Remember, this is a family that mooched off of American taxpayers. This woman also shoplifted over $1,600 worth of clothing from Lord & Taylor

The mother told reporters at that same press conference that she would be “happy” to give up her U.S. citizenship, and that she was “thinking about it.”

The Tsarnaev family emigrated to the U.S. a decade ago, but both parents returned to Russia last year.

Speaking of giving up U.S. citizenship, I think it’s about time we make it legal to strip the citizenship of (at least) naturalized individuals who commit heinous terrorist crimes.